Classic Covers: A Window on Winter

There is an up side to winter weather – looking at it through a window from the inside, as these covers from 1925 to 1962 show.

These are my favorite windows applications.

By the Fire – Walter Humphrey

By The FireWalter HumphreyJanuary 27, 1934

This was the last of seven Post covers by artist Walter Humphrey from 1921 through 1934. Although he was known for his beautiful paintings of the colonial era, his Post illustrations show more modern topics, such as his 1923 covers of a boy practicing his putting and a young lady speeding in her roadster. This cozy cover of man and best friend by the fire makes me want to build a fire and veg out.

Snowy Night – E.M. Jackson

Snowy NightE.M. JacksonJanuary 5, 1929

This lady is also warming herself by the fire while the weather outside is frightful. Her lovely fringed shawl is a treat. Artist E.M. Jackson did nearly fifty-eight covers for the Post and Country Gentleman, often with an architectural feature such as this beautiful window. There was a reason for that: the artist graduated from Georgia Tech with a degree in architecture.

Rain and Melting Snow – George Hughes

Rain and Melting SnowGeorge HughesJanuary 31, 1959

The people looking out this window regret that it is NOT snowing. Instead of the ten-inch base with an anticipated two inches of new powder, the thermometer took a turn for the warmer, melting the snow instead of adding to it. Artist George Hughes was a big name in Saturday Evening Post covers, doing 115 great ones. If you’re into skiing history, another big name was Austrian skier, Sig Buchmayr. He’s the dark-haired man in the red sweater among the would-be skiers here.

Birdtalk – Gyo Fujikawa

BirdtalkGyo FujikawaJanuary 6, 1962

Is the budgie in the cage longing to be out or is the wren out in the winter weather thinking that cozy cage looks good? Well, the grass is always greener…even if it is covered with snow. In spite of her Japanese name, Gyo Fujikawa (1908-1998) was an American artist well known for children’s book illustrations and one lovely Saturday Evening Post cover. Another claim to fame: she was the artist behind the adorable round-faced Eskimo child on Eskimo Pies (which sounds darn good right now, even if it is cold outside). When this cover ran in 1962, Post editors noted that the original had been stolen. I haven’t been able to find out if it was ever recovered, so if anyone out there knows, e-mail me! (d.denny@satevepost.org). And yes, reprints are available at www.curtispublishing.com.

Snow Birds – Charles A. MacLellan

Snow BirdsCharles A. MacLellanMarch 6, 1926

In spite of the fact that artist Charles A. MacLellan did over fifty colorful covers for The Saturday Evening Post between 1912 and 1936, I can find virtually no information on him. Until someone kindly enlightens me about this artist, I’ll just enjoy covers like this pretty lady making sure the snow birds have enough to eat. If you have a question on a Post cover, drop me an e-mail or comment below.

On November 30, 2010 I received the following biographical information about Charles A. MacLellan from his niece:
Uncle Charlie lived in a studio apartment in Wilmington, DE for many years. I believe it is now headquarters for some sort of an artists’ group. Perhaps the address is 1305 Franklin Street. About 15 years ago I sent the artists’ group a post card (or letter) from Howard Pyle indicating agreement to rent the place to Uncle Charlie.

Uncle Charlie died in October 1961 and a service was held at a local Presbyterian Church. He was cremated and his ashes were scattered by several ladies in the artists’ organization.

My two sisters and I were his heirs. My mother, Marjorie MacLellan Dawson, was executor of his will.

He was a very, very funny man – very proper and irreverent at the same time.